Generations ago, shifters -- many with magic powers -- were accepted throughout Emylnor. But a war with the nearby dragon nation bred concern, and though Emylnor's forces beat back the invasion, the shifters retreated into hiding.<br><br>Akton is a weasel shifter who seems to have no magical talents. When he is hunted, Talfryn joins the fight, finally able to flex his salamander flame powers. But while they make a good team, the thrill quickly wears off when they uncover recruitment orders. A shifter named Basil is building an army.<br><br>Someone has to warn Queen Ylenia before Basil can launch Emylnor into another war. When Akton and Talfryn volunteer to deliver the information to her, they have no intention of getting deeply involved with the fight -- or each other. But to stop Basil, they need to learn to trust each other completely, and fast. Or all of Emylnor will burn ...

Flame and Snow

At the moment she was farther along, prowling the edge of her chasm in shifted form. As he watched she shrugged a shoulder and an area of the forest rumbled and rolled, like the ground was a tablecloth she was shaking out. There were archers in there—Akton heard them scream as the earth buckled and trees toppled, and he turned back to the nearby fighters, blocking it out. One thing he’d learned since the burning of settlements was that he couldn’t stop to think too hard.


Out of the corner of his eye he saw Talfryn bolt out of the trees, burn the stakes in the trench to a crisp, then jump down and run to the other side of the pit before climbing up. Akton tried not to feel pissed that he could have had a completely safe crossing had he waited. Of course, he couldn’t have cleared this area of Basil’s forces, either. He pressed on, away from Talfryn and the centaur, going for fighters that could circle back around and aid the shifter.


Chapter 52